• Registered: 2006-07-24
  • Posts: 343

Re: Missile kills or "gun kills"

Curse you all!  Why can't you lot talk about guns and ground combat?  That's all stuff we've finalized!  We're still working on the whole "space" situation tongue

But personally I'm not partial to locking systems for missiles, though we are experimenting with various creative alternatives and uses for such systems.  wink wink 


Or at least GD is.  I can't get the bleeding things to work smile

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  • From: Seattle, Washington
  • Registered: 2006-01-06
  • Posts: 1,994

Re: Missile kills or "gun kills"

I don't know about you guys, but pretty much the only reason I switched from BF1942 to BF2 (and subsequently to 2142 due to the mod's engine switch) was for guided missiles.

I also don't know how many of you played any of the X-Wing series (X-Wing, TIE Fighter, XvT, X-Wing Alliance), but in my opinion, I think they got the balance between lock-on missiles/rockets/bombs and laser cannons just about perfect.  You rarely rely solely on your lock-ons because they are easily avoided by competent pilots, and they are ineffective in dogfight situations because most of the time the craft are moving too fast and too close to each other to allow either pilot to achieve a lock on the other...therefore causing the respective dogfighting pilots to rely on their cannons.

I think it would be a huge mistake not to implement lock-on missiles as they are a part of the Star Wars cannon, and can offer a new dynamic to ship-to-ship combat.  I'm fully confident that our coders will be able to implement a system that is more effective and less cheap than the crap missiles seen in BF2 and BF2142 dogfighting.  Don't be put off by BF2 and BF2142 missiles, I'm sure ours will be differ from them immeasurably.

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45 Reply by Safe-Keeper (edited by Safe-Keeper 2007-04-12 22:49:36)

  • From: Grong, Norway
  • Registered: 2006-07-25
  • Posts: 5,192

Re: Missile kills or "gun kills"

My thoughts:

I think it would be a huge mistake not to implement lock-on missiles as they are a part of the Star Wars cannon [...]

I don't know about the canon part. While in the Prequel Trilogy anti-fighter rockets are shown to be homing and long-living, this is contradicted by the inability of the weapon electronics of the Original Trilogy to hit even a stationary five metres wide target. Laser cannons, too, need quite some time to lock on to their targets before starting to aim. 'Computers', in the words of an Alliance pilot, can't hit a target five metres wide, which logically implies they can't hit a moving target that size or smaller either.

So when I think about air-to-air missiles in Star Wars, my thoughts spring immediately to the German R4M 'Orkan' air-to-air missiles used late in World War II - unguided rockets without too much effect. Of course torpedoes could be set to fly through pre-programmed waypoints, but we actually don't know if they really possessed homing ability, as they were meant to destroy large, slow-moving targets such as corvettes and frigates.

Of course, if you want homing missiles, you can easily say they're a new technology fielded at some point after the Battle of Yavin (it's not like humans learned to make and use homing missiles after World War II), but even then, they should perform like real-life First Generation missiles.

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  • From: Montréal, Canada
  • Registered: 2006-03-23
  • Posts: 1,184

Re: Missile kills or "gun kills"

Why is there so much discussion about this, lol?

Proton torpedos with slight homing capabilities for hitting cap ships or lazy fighter pilots who fly in a straight line too long

Consussion missiles with moderate/good homing capabilities for fighter/fighter combat

Fire and forget for both once lock-on is achieved

One proton torpedo should bring down a fighter, two concussion missiles should bring down a fighter

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  • Markus
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  • From: Zwolle [NL]
  • Registered: 2006-01-02
  • Posts: 1,299

Re: Missile kills or "gun kills"

i realy dont see any problems with homong missiles. it just means that you have to become a better pilot if you cant handle them.
a whole legion of stormtroopers couldnt even hit a wookie or a "Han Solo" infront of them. so you want there weapons to be like that to? (bridge to woodrow post tongue)

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  • From: Montréal, Canada
  • Registered: 2006-03-23
  • Posts: 1,184

Re: Missile kills or "gun kills"

Agreeing with Markus.  If you're flying a fighter in a straight line for more than eight or nine seconds, you should be running around on the ground with a pellet gun.

Heck if you fly like that you'll be cut up by lasers anyway, forget about homing missiles.

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  • Registered: 2006-05-15
  • Posts: 728

Re: Missile kills or "gun kills"

FSDev| RedMonkey999 wrote:

I also don't know how many of you played any of the X-Wing series (X-Wing, TIE Fighter, XvT, X-Wing Alliance), but in my opinion, I think they got the balance between lock-on missiles/rockets/bombs and laser cannons just about perfect.  You rarely rely solely on your lock-ons because they are easily avoided by competent pilots, and they are ineffective in dogfight situations because most of the time the craft are moving too fast and too close to each other to allow either pilot to achieve a lock on the other...therefore causing the respective dogfighting pilots to rely on their cannons.

I've played the series extensively. The thing you're missing here is that in those games you'd have, say 8 missiles for a half-hour mission. Here, people will use all 8 missiles, die and respawn with another fighter. The best way around that is to have long respawn times for fighters, but that frustrates people.

Agreeing with Markus.  If you're flying a fighter in a straight line for more than eight or nine seconds, you should be running around on the ground with a pellet gun.

I think as long as the lock-on time is kept long (3 seconds) and for that you have to keep the ship in your crosshair - not in your vision, it will be balanced well.

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